- Box Score

CANYON – The Tarleton women's basketball team went into Canyon and walked away victorious for the first time in almost nine years as the TexAnns conquered the Lady Buffs 64-43.

To start the game, Shelby Adamson got Tarleton on the board first with a pair of free throws, as the refs set the tempo of the game early calling a number of quick fouls. West Texas A&M answered with two free throws of their own, but the tie didn't last long when Haley followed up with a tough lay-up in the paint and put back a missed shot to give the TexAnns a 6-2 lead by the 18:12 mark.

Turnovers were an early issue for both teams as the electric atmosphere and enthusiastic fans made it hard for the TexAnns or Lady Buffs to get into any kind of rhythm offensively. The game found itself tied at 8-8 entering the first media time out.

Neither team wanted to give any ground, with both teams finding out prior to the game that they were ranked in the top 10 teams in the South Central region, with Tarleton at No. 3 and WTAMU at No. 6. This put even more on the line than usual in what has been an intense rivalry in recent years.

Unfortunately for Tarleton, the Lady Buffs got a hold on early jitters first as they stormed out to a five-point lead on a 9-0 run during a 3:15 TexAnn drought.

Haley ended the drought with a free throw, and Lisa Parker put Tarleton back on top heading into the second media break with a put-back and a clutch three pointer.

A couple of Lady Buff free throws meant the TexAnns were once again trailing WTAMU as the clock ticked under eight minutes to play in the first half.

Despite finding themselves behind in the game, Tarleton brought their best defense to the game, holding the Lady Buffs to a low percentage from the floor and twice forcing shot clock violations. However, it was the fouls and second chance shots that gave WTAMU the advantage.

The TexAnns refused to give up though, going on a six-point run that was capped off by a Sonya Sundberg three, putting Tarleton up 20-15 with 4:48 remaining in half.

The Lady Buffs and the TexAnns traded baskets over the last four minutes of the half with neither team able to separate themselves from the other. WTAMU scored the last three points of the first 20 minutes, but it was Tarleton that went into the locker room on top 25-24.

Brittnie Haley led the TexAnns in the first half with seven points and three rebounds, while Lisa Parker added five points and two steals. As a team, Tarleton shot 32.1 percent from the floor and held WTAMU to just 20 percent shooting.

The Lady Buffs out-rebounded the TexAnns 24-17, and only remained in the game due to their 14 made free throws compared to Tarleton's four conversions.

At the start of the second half, both teams again struggled to get into a rhythm offensively. Tarleton was able to extend their lead to seven after a three by Tara Towns and a pair of lay-ups by Benford and Wright.

The Lady Buffs were forced to call a time out at the 13:52 mark after the TexAnns pulled out to a 34-26 lead.

Haley used momentum from the first half to take control of the second half, scoring four straight Tarleton points in under six seconds off the clock, putting Tarleton up ten with 13:14 remaining.

WTAMU could not find an answer for the interior play of Tarleton, allowing the senior posts Haley and Benford and freshman Wright to set the pace for the rest of the game.

A three-pointer by Parker with 11:48 on the clock gave the TexAnns their largest lead so far in the game of 13 points as WTAMU began to unravel.

From there, Tarleton was able to take more chances both offensively and defensively, and began to run away with the game. Over a 6:21 stretch in the middle of the second half, the TexAnns went on a 12-0 run, giving Tarleton a 23-point lead with just 4:53 left in the game. Up to that point the Lady Buffs had only scored six points in the second half.

In the end, the No. 23 TexAnns proved to be too much for their LSC rival, defeating the Lady Buffs on their home court, 64-43.

WTAMU was able to hold the third leading scorer in the conference Shelby Adamson to just a single field goal that she didn't score until 1:32 left in the second half. Adamson finished with 10 points in the contest.

Setting a season high, Parker led all scorers with 16 points, going 4-of-8 from downtown, and contributed three steals on defense. Haley added a 13-point, seven-rebound performance, while Benford and Wright both grabbed eight boards. Sundberg was the main facilitator for the TexAnns, dishing out five assists to go along with seven points.

Overall, Tarleton shot 38.9 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from deep and went 15-24 from the charity stripe.  They also dominated the Lady Buffs on the boards, out-rebounding the host team 45-35

WTAMU on the other hand, struggled shooting just 25.5 percent from the floor, 55.2 percent from the free throw line, and hit just one of their 11 attempts from three. Ariel Robertson led the Lady Buffs with 10 points and eight boards, while Megan McLain and Jamie Simmons both chipped in eight points.

With the win, Tarleton (15-2) takes over sole possession of first-place in the LSC South Division standings at 5-0, while WTAMU (11-7) falls to second place at 4-1.

The victory marks the first win for Tarleton in the last eleven tries against the Lady Buffs and their first victory over WTAMU head coach Krista Gerlich in nine attempts. It is also Tarleton's first win in almost nine years in Canyon, last doing so on Feb. 14, 2002.

After the game, Tarleton head coach Ronnie Hearne found trouble expressing how much the win meant to both the team and the program.

“This is really sweet,” said Hearne. “When we got that big of a lead and then started to run the clock down, it was great.”

Hearne also commended his players for their unwavering effort.

“We had tremendous effort from everyone tonight,” said Hearne. “Kelsey did a great job on Simmons defensively, Lisa did a great job shooting off the bench, and Kiara really attacked the boards.”

After a close game early, Hearne reiterated how much different Tarleton played in the second half.

“The first 20 minutes had passion, but it didn't feel like we used our heads,” said Hearne. “The difference in the second half is that we played a complete game of basketball on both ends of the floor.”

The TexAnns return home to host A&M-Kingsville Saturday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. in Wisdom Gym. The Javelinas are just 2-14 on the year and have yet to win a game in LSC South Division play this year.